This article will help you learn what product certification schemes exist, which one is the most stringent, what the main criteria for their selection are, and find out the difference between TR CU, GOST R, TR R. In the Russian Federation this procedure is regulated by the proposed law dated December 1, 2009 № 982. In the EAEU – by the decision of the Customs Union № 621 dated April 7, 2011.
Obtaining a certificate of conformity in the Russian Federation entails a set of procedures, the successful completion of which confirms that the product is safe for humans and the environment, complies with all technical regulations. The existing schemes may or may not include laboratory testing and audit of the production site.
Main schemes for certification of goods and services
There are three main groups. The first includes goods that fall under the technical regulations of the Customs Union – TR CU. The second one includes products that must comply with the state standards – GOST R. The third one includes goods falling under Russian technical regulations – TR R. To understand how many schemes there are, it is worth reading more about each one of them in detail.
TR CU
TR CU includes nine subgroups of the conformity confirmation procedures (1s-9s). 1s and 2s are intended for products of series production. The application is submitted by the manufacturer. 1s is accompanied by tests of the selected sample and inspection control. 2s must have a QMS (quality management system) license. 3s and 4s involve checking samples and a single product, respectively. There is no inspection control and assessment of the enterprise. The applicant can be a foreign entity. In 5s and 6s, when it is impossible to test a certified finished product, an audit of the manufacturing site and its documentation is carried out. 7s, 8s – the groups of a complex series of products – rather than testing finished samples they test their prototypes. 8s includes audit of the production site and samples, the QMS certificates. 9s includes high-tech products, equipment for the industrial sector located on the territory of the Customs Union.
GOST R
GOST R represents 16 subgroups, many of which have a basic difference – whether the condition of production facilities will be audited or not. There are three subgroups within the group. The first group includes products requiring manufacturer certification (3 and 3a). The second one includes products where the batch itself must be certified. Keep in mind that the manufacturer can be a foreign entity, while its owner can be a Russian company. They use schemes 7 and 9 in this case, where 7s is used for small companies, and 9s – for large ones. The third group provides for contract certification. The holder of the certificate and the manufacturer are different people. For series production they use subgroups 1-6, 9a, 10, 10a, for batches of products – 7th and 9th. For each individual product – 8th.
TR R
There are seven schemes in the TR R system (1s-7s). With the approval of the technical regulations of the Customs Union, the TR CU system received priority, and Russian technical regulations are gradually giving way, but they can be used upon voluntary certification. 1s-5s include checking standard samples. 6s and 7s – a sample is taken from the batch. 2s and 4s – conduct an analysis of the state of production facilities. 5s requires a QMS certificate.
Certification of imported products in Russia is mandatory for entrepreneurs. This increases competitiveness of the enterprise and their customers’ trust. MW-Trade will help you determine which type of certification will be required for your organization, make a plan for going through all the stages, and will obtain all necessary documents for a successful entry into the market.
